India has strongly rejected a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that criticized the country for alleged violations of religious freedom. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) labeled the USCIRF as a “biased organisation with a political agenda”. Randhir Jaiswal, the external affairs ministry spokesperson, said, “Our views on the USCIRF are well known. It continues to misrepresent facts and peddles a motivated narrative about India. We reject this malicious report, which only serves to discredit USCIRF further.”

The USCIRF report highlighted concerns over violent attacks against religious minorities, arbitrary arrests of religious leaders, and demolition of homes and places of worship. It also criticized India’s legal framework, including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and anti-conversion laws, for targeting and disenfranchising religious minorities.

India fired back, urging the USCIRF to focus on addressing human rights issues in the United States instead. Jaiswal added, “We would urge USCIRF to desist from such agenda-driven efforts. The USCIRF would also be well advised to utilise its time more productively on addressing human rights issues in the United States.”